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TRIP TO WASHINGTON CITY
By C. S. POWELL
Editors of The Herald:
In behalf of the 56 Confederate
Veterans of Johnston County who at
tended the Re-union at Washington,
I desire to thank you and other pa
pers for the generous use of your
papers in disseminating the glad
news that our generous Board of
County Commissioners would pay our
Railroad fare. I am sure every one
enjoyed the trip, and to say that I
did, but feebly expresses my feelings.
My measure of enjoyment and pleas
ure was filled, and with your per
mission will try to tell of some
things I saw and learned. The trip to
Washington through our old service
grounds in the Sixties at Weldon,
Petersburg, Drewry's Blulf, Rich
mond, Hanover Junction, Manassa,
and Fredcricksburg was remembered
with pride.
Arriving at Washington, every
thing was in a turmoil, but under
such efficient organization, soon
straightened out. We were undoubt
edly as green as goslings, but on
deck. A new world had opened to us.
Everything looked big, and was big,
even the hash house and dormitories.
The District of Columbia is located at
the mouth of the Anacastie river and
on the Potomac, one hundred miles
from the Chessapeake Bay and one
hundred and eighty miles from the
ocean, and contains 70 square miles.
The City of Washington was laid out
by George Washington, assisted by a
French engineer in the continental
army about 1790 and was fashioned
after some French city. The site of
Washington, the capital from which
the avenues radiate, intersect the
streets at various angles. Straight
lines run through the center of the
building, dividing the city into four
sections and known as North, South,
East and West. The streets running
east and went are lettered, while
those running north and south are
numbered. Various -circles at cross
streets and monuments, fountains and
flower beds adorn them. All streets
are beautifully shaded and well kept
lawns and rose vines at all houses. The
trees of low growing habit are well
pruned and sprayed. The government
of the city is complicated and not
understood by me. The assessed value
of all property in the District in 1910
was $324,000,000, and the population
at that time was 331,000, one-third
of whom were negroes. The great
Capitol, the finest in the world, the
dome of which is visible for miles
day and night ? electric lights around
at different angles ? reflects brilliant
light all night. The building is an
immense structure of marble and
reached by several flights of marble
steps and landings. The Senate cham
ber (where the nation's Solomons
meet) and House of Representatives
(where the lesser Solomons meet)
with the great dome and corridor in the
center, ornamented from bottom to
top, with busts, statues, monuments,
and pictures of distinguished Ameri
cans, events and scenes. A stone in
the floor of the rotunda is called an
Echo Stone, and you can talk back
to yourself. (I wish every woman in
the land had one at times). Both
houses were in session, but seemed
to be doing business to empty seats
and bare galleries. I visited Sena
tors Simmons and Overman, and
their office force, Capt. Ashe, Messrs.
Jernigan and Martin. All had a friend
ly greeting. All were busy. A great
tunnel connects the two wings, and
car service is maintained by an elec
tric gyroscope running on two wheels.
A huge elevator lets you up or down.
I saw the White House only from the
streets. The surrounding grounds are
elaborate and beautiful in landscape.
Flowers, preen lawns and dense
shades at every view. I only saw
President Wilson while passing the
reviewing stand in the parade, which
was two hours passing. The side
walks and every available vantage
point was a mass of cheering human
ity. The old Rebel yell brought inces
sant cheering. I guess some of the
old G. O. P. knew what that meant
at one time and imagined things
had broke "loose in Georgia" again.
Refreshments were served at the con
clusion and Boy Scouts carried can
tons of water at all times. I counter
marched thereby seeing the whole
push. I was a guest at the home of
Dr. Wade H. Atkinson, a native
Johnston County boy, and the prince
of and host and hostess were his wife
and self. Not a moment of time hung
heavily on me. On their automobile
they personally checked the princi
pal streets (which were all) pointing
out and explaining innumerable pub
lic and prominent buildings of inter
est, including foreign Embassies,
millionaire residences, former homes
of ex-Presidents, places of worship,
the National Soldiers' Home ? a plot
of five hundred acres, a beauty in
landscape and perfect roads, beautiful
meadows, clover and alfalfa plots,
upon which a large herd of registered
holstein milk cows grazed, and were
housed in fine barns and dairy equip
ment. Two of the finest bulls I ever
saw headed the herd, all electrically
lighted. The buildings and equipment
for the descrepid soldiers were mod
els of comfort and convenience. Hock
Creek Park and Zoo was especially
interesting. The finely graded and
built roads were models of beauty
and covers an area of five hundred
acres, on every foot of which is some
thing of interest. ^
I visited the Ichthylogical Build
ing, and saw millions of young shad,
bass, porch and pickerel in the hatch
eries as well as many varieties of
fish in fountains. The Congressional
Library at night was beautiful beyond
my powers of description. It is also
of marble and brilliantly lighted,
winding stairs, and a maze of pict
ures everywhere.
The Pan-American Building in
which Secretaries Lansing and Dan
iels shook hands with along line of
folks, and called it a reception, was
also interesting. The Washington
monument fifty-five feet square at the
base and five hundred and fifty-five
feet high, ascendcd by winding stairs
and elevator of thirty men capacity, is
an imposing structure, operated by
electricity two hundred yrds from
the base. A mark around 100 feet
high indicates the cessation in build
ing during the Civil War, the finish
ing being finer stone. For 40 feet
ioside the walls are elaborately
carved. Two search lights play on it
from a distance, and is visible a long
way. The Botanical garden, a para
dise of flowers, with variegated
rose fence six feet high, and exquis
itely pruned, was a thing of linger
ing beauty. Statuary Hall and Art
Gallery was beyond my limited pow
ers of understanding. A mythologi
cal student, only could appreciate,
though I remembered the Greek
Slave, Lavocoon, Vulcan, Ceres, Flora
and some others as well as canvass
pictures and sculpture draperied and
nude,, interesting and reflective. In
this hall I met an old comrade that
I had not met in 52 years, yet, he
recognizcd me as Adjutant Powell.
Our greetings were warm, and he
called a street photographer and had
our pictures taken, giving me one.
His name is J. C. Sullivan of Union
County. I attended a reception, by the
North Carolina Society of Washing
ton. Speeches by Senator Overman,
Representative Stedman and Gover
nor Bickett and general handshaking.
Here, Mr. Parker Anderson, a North
Carolina newspaper reporter, invited
Dr. and Mrs. Atkinson and myself to
lunch, took us to a swell hotel and
called for a "gin phiz" and "crab
cocktail." I acted pretty wisely but
I didn't know what I was eating and
drinking. The next morning my head
was a little offish and a dry finish in
my mouth. These 12 M. lunches are
not fitten for scopanger like me.
A visit to the biggest market in
the world was wonderful. Every imag
inable edible in meat, fish, vegetables,
berries and flowers galore. The keep
er said if the supply was stopped,
three days would clear it out. Other
market places looked big to me.
A pleasing visit to the Museum and
Smithsonian Institute, where ex-Pres
ident Roocevelt's collection of Afri
can animals is exhibited, along
with every known animal, bird and
reptile, as well as many skeletons of
prehistoric and extinct animals. Ind
ians, Esquimos and the Cliff Dwell
ers of Mexico and Arizona are all
represented in many poses of life
and characteristics.
The celebrated Marine Band dis
pensed fine strains of music, includ
ing "Dixie" which never failed to
bring prolonged cheers from the
great throng. One lady diked in
divers colors and badges, asked for
some one to pat a jig. I told Dr. At
kinson to hold my hat, that I had
been to a few hoe-downs and corn
shuckings and we would see about it.
I gave her "Juba around the kettle
of fat." She hopped in the air,
knocked chicken in the bread tray,
wired, heeled and toed, broad-shuf
fled, backstepped, Johnnie get your
hair cut and every other move that
a "Jimbcrlack" could cut. The whole
house roared with delight. I asked
for her card. She gave it and her
name was Mrs. Cordelia Powell Odcn
heimer, of Washington, D. C., Presi
dent General of United Daughters of
the Confederacy and Matron of Honor
for the Re-union. She was a typical
representative of Southern beauty
and vivacity. I met her next day. She
gave me a copy of the Confederate
Veteran published in Nashville, Tenn.,
with her picture in it. I felt like
singing, "I wish that gal waa mine."
May she live long and her happiness
last eternally.
A call at the home of Mrs. W. II.
Green, the mother of our townsman,
Mr. Alex Green, was very pleasant.
We were school-mates in the fifties
and she said she remembered me as
dancing up the path of the "White
school house."
An apartment house in the city
houses more families than are in
Smithficld and Selma. It's a big one
Many high-schools here. I visited one ,
with a corps of t>7 professors and !
teachers and nearly 2,300 pupils.
Many hospitals in the city, more ho
tels, one being an inmate of one
with convalescent scarlet fever. 1
just told him "howdy" from the bal
cony.
A trip to the Great Falls, the source
of water supply for the city, 17 miles
up the Potomac river by automobile,
across a million dollar concrete bridge
through Fort Myers, of beautiful
grounds and elaborate quarters for
men and officers as well as extensive
drill grounds and along the National
or Government road, guarded from
end to end, was much enjoyed. Tlu
fails, a ledge of rocks 20 feet high
with its incessant roar and rainbow
hued spray was grand. Electric cars
run here and it is a fine picnic
ground with huge boulders nil about
for table sand seats. The Che; i
peake Canal is here, and boats are
raised by locks, which is interesting.
A swinging bridge spans the river
here. Above here opposite Lexington,
Va., 1 crossed the Potom?.c with Lee"
army, in 1862, was at the capture of
Harper's Ferry and battle of Sharps -
burg, Md. Many more places of in
terest was visited by courtesy of my
most excellent host and hostess, lint
space forbids mention, and then a
vivid discription is hard for me to
undertake and can but say as Queen
Esther did when she visited King
Solomon, "the half has not been told."
Again thanking all who contributed
"their bit" to us old Confederates in
these our declining days' pleasure
and wishing them every one a full
measure of comfort and pleasure in
this life and life eternal at last, I ;im
Very respectfully,
C. S. POWELL.
NEW CANADIAN PAPER MILLS.
IMant Will lie Producing 19.> Tons
^ Daily by First of Year.
A report from the American con
sul general at Vancouver to the State
Department reads as follows:
Installation of the plant of the Pa
cific Mills at Ocean Falls was begun
about 12 months ago, but it is only
within the last few days that the
first unit has been put in operation.
The mill is now turning out 75 tons
of news print daily. By the end of
the present year a second unit with
a capacity of 120 tons of paper is
expected to be in operation, and the
daily production will then reach 195
tons.
While the present program of de
velopment ends with the starting of
these two units, it is regarded as pro
bable that there will be extensions to
the equipment and a still further in
crease of production before very
long. Meanwhile the plant will be
worked to its full capacity.
The Durham Hosiery Mills at Dur
ham, has been awarded a contract
for 300,000 pairs of socks for the
navy department. The contract
amounts to $01,000.
You put a lid on waste every time
you seal a preserving jar.
COL JEFFERSON R. KEAN
Col. Jefferson R. Kean, director gen
eral of military relief of the American
Red Cross, expects to take direct
charge of the six base hospital units
which the American Red Cross will
send first to Europe. Colonel Kean Is
given credit for having prepared thes?
units for immediate service
P rinted
Stationery
The use of Printed Stationery is no
longer confined to the business or
prefessional man-- -Farmers, Con
tractors, Builders and in fact men
in all walks of life are beginning to
realize that Printed Stationery costs
but little more than the unprinted
kind and that every letter they write
is a silent representative. Come in
and let us taik it over with you and
tell you what it will cost to have
your stationery artistically printed.
eaty Lassiter
Smithlield, N. C.
X
Billions of Dollars
That heretofore have been stored away in vaults and
safety deposit boxes are being taken from hiding and
loaned to our Allies in this war.
The Vast Sum
Will not be spent out of the country. It will be spent here
for foodstuffs and the thousand and one other supplies
that must be sold to our Allies for the support of their
armies and civil population. The articles must be raised
and made in this country, by our own peoples
Millions of Americans
Will be employed in this work, with factories running
over time and farmers utilizing every hour of the day
light. Much of that money will even find its way right
into our own local community, and every citizen will be
proportionately benefited.
The Shrewd Merchant
Will heed the doctrine of commercial preparedness, and
will begin now to advertise his wares in this paper, for
it is a self evident fact that the spender will go to the
merchant who makes the most attractive bid for his
business, whether that merchant be local or foreign.
Keep it at Home
If the merchants of Smithfield and other Johnston
County towns want the money that is sent to the mail
order houses they must go after it with the same vim
and vigor that the mail order houses do. They know
the value of Advertising.
It's Time For All Home Folks to Wake Up
BEATY & LASSITER
PUBLISHERS SMITHFIELD